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(No Model.) v v 2 SheetsShee1; 1. I. S. MOGIEHAN. RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

N0.431,611. PatentedJuIY-BJSQO.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet I. S. MGGIEHAN.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

I No. 431,611. Patented July 8. 1&9-0.

UNITED STATES ENT QFFI'CET ISAACS, MCGIEHAN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY-RAH. JOINT..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,611, dated July 8,1890. I i

Application filed PebruaryZ i, 1890. Serial No. 341,607. (No model.)

To aZZ whom itmay concern.-

.Be it known that I, ISAAC S. MCGIEHAN, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-RailJoints, of which the following is a specification. Thisinvention relatesto railway-rail joints, its object being to provide a foundation underthe bottom of the rail ends where they areo1ned together and to holdthe. rail ends rig- 1d1y upon the foundation without drilling or cuttingthe rail and so that there is no possibil ty of the rail ends movingindependent of the foundation which they rest upon, as

will be hereinafter explained.

- In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,my invention is fully illustrated, with 'similarletters of refer Toconst-ruct my improved bridge-joint, I'

take a piece of channel-beam iron, as shown in cross-section at A, Fig.1, the requisite size and cut the ends of its sides out, as shown at I c0; Figs. 2 and 3, so that it will rest upon two the rail-base.

cross-ties, oneend on each tie, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with thesides of the channel extending downward between the ties to form a trussand at the same time providing a fiat upper surface for the rail ends torestupon. I then provide two clamps, as E E, Figs: 1 and 3, formed, asshown in cross-section in Fig. 1, with two jaws, one running along itstop edge and the other running along its'lower edge,

as shown at .m and n, Fig. 1. The jaw n fits under and engages with thelower side of the channel-bridge A, and the jaw m passes over the boltsd through the clamps and sides of the channel-beam bridge, and whenthese are drawn together the jaws mslide up on the rail-base until therail is finally seated 'upon the channel-beam bridge, and by utilizingthe channel-beam bridge a piece of chemically- I proach'in'g side. Thusthe rail ends are thrown After these are in place, I pass bevel of therail-base as a wedge for the jaws m to slide over, together with thebolts d, sufficient clamping force is obtained to practically convertthe whole into a solid structure, so that the joint is quite as strongas any other part of the rail. Before putting my joint'toget-her,however, I place on top of the prepared or tax paper, as 3, Figs. 2 and3, which acts as a cushion for the rail to rest upon and destroys themetal contact between the rails and the bridge, and it also prevents theparts from rusting together. v

' When a locomotive is approaching a joint in the track, the rail alwaysdeflects on the 0pposite side of the tie from the joint on the apupward,which is proven from the fact that fish-plates or splice-bars alwayscrack and begin-to-break on the top side first. Thus it is just asimportant to hold the rail ends down andkeep them from going up as it isto hold them from going down under the weight of of the locomotive, andthis is the particular feature which I claim for my invention. Themethod of fastening the-parts togetheris such and so powerful that eachand every part combines to form one very rigid structure, which'holdsthe rail in perfect line and prevents either an upward or downwardmovement of the rail ends. r

I desire more particularly to call attention to the fact that the lowerjaws n of the clamps E do not slide under the bridge when thebolt istightened, as is-usual with such joints. The

lowcrfj aw n is provided with a shoulder, which strikes the outside ofthe bridge and prevents it from sliding farther under, thus throwing isshaped so as to utilize the bevel of the railbase to slide over, andthereby produce a more substantial and rigid grip than couldbe otherwiseobtained. I

In order to prevent the rails from creeping, I provide, when necessary,four depressions in the corners or edges of; the channel-beam bridge A,as shown at 0 0, Fig. 2, and bend the edge of the flange of thc raildown to fit into these depressions, so that when the clamps E are inposition it would be impossible for I the ends of the rail to drawout.

" The form of the channel-beam bridge may 9 the entire movement to theupper jaw,'which drawn together to create a clamping-power to combinethe bridge and-rails together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therefor, and desire tosecure by- Let-' ters Patent of the United States, is v 1. A'railway-rail joint consisting of the bridge or foundation piece A, ofany desireable form, the clamps E E, provided with the jaw'n, fulcrumedagainst the bridge or foundation piece A at the lower edge, and the jaws'm, formed to slide over the rail-base when the two are drawn togetheras described, in combination with suitable bolts d, substantially as setforth.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination of'the bridge or foundation piece A,provided with the extending ends 0 c, which restupon the ties B, theclamps E, providedwith the jaws m and n, the jawn of which is fulcrumedagainst the lower edge of the bridge or foundation piece A, and the jaw071 formed to slide over the rail-base,as described, in combination withthe intermediate chemically-treated paper, and the clamping-bolts d,substantially as specified. r

3. A bridge. or foundation piece, as A, provided with the depressions 0,the rail 6, having its base-flange bent down to engage with the saiddepressions, in combination with suitable clamps and bolts for holdingthe rail and foundation-piece together, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingimprovement in railway-railjoints, as above described, I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day ofFebruary, 1890.

'ISAAC S. MCGIEHAN.

, Witnesses:

1 W. H. SPENCER,

NATHAN BARNEY.

